I have used Amsoil 0W-30 since 1996 in my truck. I currently have it in my 2001 GMC SLT Extended Cab Z71 with 35,600 miles. My buddy has my old 1996 Chevy Z71 and he has over 100,000 miles using 0W-30.
Which cars use/who buys 0W-30?
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Yeah, it's marketing. The 0w30 Castrol is quite a bit more expensive than other oils in Europe (50 pounds for 5 liters in the UK, which is about $15.00 per quart), but I think Castrol knows that if all the other Syntec on the shelves in the US is 4.99 and the 0w30 were 6.50 (let alone $15.00), nobody would buy it. I'm sure it's the same with Mobil 1. The 0w30 and 0w40 are no doubt more expensive to make than the other grades, yet Mobil holds the price on those grades to the level of the others. (For price comparison, in the UK, Mobil 1 0w40 is about 30 pounds for a 4 liter jug, or 7.5 pounds per liter. Castrol 0w30 is about 10 pounds per liter.)
[ May 11, 2003, 09:21 AM: Message edited by: G-Man II ]
You guys have gotten me all excited about this Syntec. I would love to buy some, if nothin else, to support Autozone stocking it. The only thing that is holding me back is:
1. I'll be driving the VW turbo in 110 F weather in Arizona this summer for extended periods and somehow, seeing that big "30" on the bottle rather than something heavier makes me nervous.
2. Our other car, the Volvo owners manual seems to warn against such a light oil in hot summer temperatures.
So I've got a few mental blocks to overcome.
1. I'll be driving the VW turbo in 110 F weather in Arizona this summer for extended periods and somehow, seeing that big "30" on the bottle rather than something heavier makes me nervous.
2. Our other car, the Volvo owners manual seems to warn against such a light oil in hot summer temperatures.
So I've got a few mental blocks to overcome.
This oil meets the toughtest VW/Audi standards, so I wouldn't hesistate using it if I had a VW turbo. Keep in mind it was VW and Castrol working together that spearheaded the A5 standard in Europe for low friction, low HT/HS oils, all of which are 0w30. Castrol makes a version of the SLX which is A5 specifically for VW and Audi engines that call for it. Since the Syntec 0w30 is an A3 oil with good HT/HS numbers, it should do fine in your turbo.
What oil does the owner's manual for your VW call for?
Patman
Staff member
We obviously don't know for sure yet, but let's assume in this case that the 0w30 Castrol holds it's viscosity very well, and stays at 12.1 cst throughout your interval. Wouldn't you rather run this oil than to run a 40wt oil that starts out at 13.0cst but then thins out to 11.5? I personally believe a well built 30wt oil can provide more than enough protection for most cars on the road today.
HT/HS?
PAO?
Group III?
Please enlighten this newbie. Where can I go to find out what all these terms mean? Thanks.
PAO?
Group III?
Please enlighten this newbie. Where can I go to find out what all these terms mean? Thanks.
Patman
Staff member
Right here! If you go to the main page of www.bobistheoilguy.com there are many sections there which go into great detail.quote:
Originally posted by kiko:
HT/HS?
PAO?
Group III?
Please enlighten this newbie. Where can I go to find out what all these terms mean? Thanks.
For a quick reply, PAO stands for PolyAlphaOlefins, and it's a type of base oil used for synthetic oils.
Group 3 is another type of base oil, but it's hydrocracked petroleum which legally is allowed to be called synthetic, but technically speaking it's not.
HTHS stands for High Temperature High Shear, and it's a test which shows how durable an oil is under extreme heat and stress. The higher the number the better it can handle the stress. A good number for a 10w30 oil for example would be above 3.2.
I just checked my Autozone again and the 0w-30 German stuff is $4.49 (along with the 5w-30) while the 10w-40 and the 5w-50 are $4.99! What is up with that? The more expensive oil is sold for cheaper? It's a strange brand of marketing.
After reading this board on and off for a few months, I have picked up some German Castrol 0W30 for use in my chipped A4 1.8T. I found it at a local WalMart for $6.66 CDN per litre, which was slightly less than Mobil 1.
The recommended spec as per the manual for this car is 5W40 dino or synthetic, or 5W30 if 5W40 is not available (year 2000 specs, VW/Audi has flip-flopped on this over the years). I don't know of any 5W40 dino oil, and I've been using the Castrol Syntec 5W40 (VW dealer only) since I got the car with 34,000 kms on it, now at 74,000). Whenever I called the parts dept to order it, the guy always said "Oh, you've got a TDI?" No, it's a 1.8T, that's the recommended weight. Unless you specify (and pay extra or provide the oil yourself) the dealers will usually ignore the reco'd specs and use 5W30, 10W30, extra virgin olive, or whatever they want.
Anyway, this is a long way of saying, I plan to use the German Castrol 0W30 at the next change and am hoping it will perform at least as well as the Group III based 5W40.
I also just bought a new V6 Passat and while the first change is a while away, I am open to suggestions for a good oil for it. BTW the history on VAG's 2.8 V6 says its known to use oil. The reco weight/spec is the same as my 1.8T for 2003: 5W40 if avail, but 5W30 is OK too. This is based on an INSERT to the owner's manual, which comes back to wording used 3 years ago. From 2001 to 2002 it says use 5W40 only. 5W30 is OK only for topping up!!
Whew! OK, I'm done.
The recommended spec as per the manual for this car is 5W40 dino or synthetic, or 5W30 if 5W40 is not available (year 2000 specs, VW/Audi has flip-flopped on this over the years). I don't know of any 5W40 dino oil, and I've been using the Castrol Syntec 5W40 (VW dealer only) since I got the car with 34,000 kms on it, now at 74,000). Whenever I called the parts dept to order it, the guy always said "Oh, you've got a TDI?" No, it's a 1.8T, that's the recommended weight. Unless you specify (and pay extra or provide the oil yourself) the dealers will usually ignore the reco'd specs and use 5W30, 10W30, extra virgin olive, or whatever they want.
Anyway, this is a long way of saying, I plan to use the German Castrol 0W30 at the next change and am hoping it will perform at least as well as the Group III based 5W40.
I also just bought a new V6 Passat and while the first change is a while away, I am open to suggestions for a good oil for it. BTW the history on VAG's 2.8 V6 says its known to use oil. The reco weight/spec is the same as my 1.8T for 2003: 5W40 if avail, but 5W30 is OK too. This is based on an INSERT to the owner's manual, which comes back to wording used 3 years ago. From 2001 to 2002 it says use 5W40 only. 5W30 is OK only for topping up!!
Whew! OK, I'm done.
This is an endless source of debate on vwvortex and you'll get 10 different stories from 10 different people. To throw a wrench into the discussion, most service advisors I've encountered at VW dealerships recommend 20w-50 for the V6, presumably to slow the consumption. One thing I do know is that I have never heard of a VW dealer using the correct 5w-40 oil during an oil change on either the 1.8T or the V6 unless you request it and pay $$$ for it. They seem to use 5w-30 or 10w-30 dino on the 1.8T's and a heavy 20w-50 on the V6's. Anyways, that probably doesn't answer your question about what to use, but I don't think I have ever gotten a straight story on this. I will have a sample of Valvoline Synpower 5w-40 coming in soon and I'll post it when I receive it.
VeeDub, I've read the endless discussion on both vwvortex and clubb5 on this topic and yes, there's lots of conflicting views. Some of the people on here seem much more knowledgable, and more importantly, have taken the time to do UOA's, like yourself. I saw your results for the Valvoline Synpower and printed them out. I have been unable to find this (5W40) in Toronto though, and I understand its group III.
I suppose the new German Castrol 0W30 is too new here in NA to have much real world testing, but I'm trying to determine if its suitable for my 1.8T and the 2.8V6, year round.
As a side note, I have witnessed a little consumption on the V6, now 1700kms into the break in. I know to expect it, but its actually quite hard to read the dipstick when the oil is so clean. I'm hoping the consumption will end sooner than later.
I suppose the new German Castrol 0W30 is too new here in NA to have much real world testing, but I'm trying to determine if its suitable for my 1.8T and the 2.8V6, year round.
As a side note, I have witnessed a little consumption on the V6, now 1700kms into the break in. I know to expect it, but its actually quite hard to read the dipstick when the oil is so clean. I'm hoping the consumption will end sooner than later.
Those discussions on vortex get quite heated with a lot of people asserting strong opinions without facts. Nonetheless, some of those discussions are entertaining. I wish I can offer you advice on your oil consumption issues. I've heard about the problems with the V6's but I own a 1.8 so I haven't paid close attention. I recall that somebody here had said that they were able to reduce their oil consumption using Redline, although my memory is foggy. You may want to check the archives on oil consumption and redline to confirm this. Anyways, that's an oil you may want to look into.
[ May 28, 2003, 11:21 PM: Message edited by: VeeDubb ]
I've used Amsoil 0w30 in both my F150 and my VW TDI which is also turbo charged with no problems. This was when I lived in El Paso texas, so I've seen temps over 100 many times.
If the oil is of good basestock, you should have no worries about running a lighter based oil.
to answer the question on who the 0w30 is targeted to here is the quote from Amsoil's spec sheet:
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